


New Groove

by PsychGirl (snycock)



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Case Fic, Christmas Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snycock/pseuds/PsychGirl
Summary: A surprise case threatens to disrupt Jim and Blair's first Christmas as a couple.
Relationships: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Comments: 17
Kudos: 17
Collections: 2020 'The Sentinel Secret Santa' - Gift Exchange





	New Groove

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PattRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/gifts).



> Happy Holidays from your Secret Santa!

Blair reached blindly for the knob with one hand, desperately hoping that he wouldn’t upset the box balanced carefully in his arms. The latch released and he bumped the door to the loft open with one hip, carefully shuffling into the loft. 

Jim was hanging the phone up, a grim look on his face, as he came over to relieve Blair of his burden. “What’s up?” Blair asked, as he shut the loft door. 

“Stephen’s not going to be able to make it tonight,” Jim replied gruffly, depositing the box on top of the coffee table. 

He could sense Jim’s disappointment from across the room. “Something came up at work?”

Jim grunted assent and opened the box, poking around in it carefully. 

Dammit. He’d been encouraging Jim to reach out to Steven, try to mend fences. Dinner on Christmas Eve had been his idea. And now this. 

“Looks like the mouse got this one, too, Chief.” 

Sighing, he ran dusty hands through his hair. This was he and Jim’s first Christmas together – like, really together, in the Biblical sense together, and he’d really wanted it to go well, but so far nothing was working out the way he’d planned. 

_Maybe that’s because it’s not really about Christmas_ , a little voice in the back of his head said. _Maybe because this is about you having finished the academy and being scared to death of what happens once you go back to being Jim’s partner_.

_It’ll be fine_ , he told the voice firmly. _Never mind that there’s a whole new set of rules and regulations to understand, and a completely different set of expectations from when I was an observer. Never mind that I haven’t got any idea what to do or how to do it. It’ll be fine _.__

__“Well, shoot.” He glanced up at the clock. “There’s probably someplace still open that sells decorations – maybe that 24-hour store over on Wilder Pass Boulevard—” He stopped as Jim’s head snapped up, brows drawn together in a frown that smoothed out a moment later as he headed to the door._ _

__“Captain,” Jim said, smiling, as he opened the door._ _

__Simon glared at him as he stood in the doorway, one hand raised to knock, the other carrying a large wreath. “I will never get used to you doing that,” he growled._ _

__Blair grinned, glad for the interruption. “C’mon in, Simon, what can we do for you?”_ _

__Their captain came in, extending the wreath towards Blair. “They were having a sale at the lot – buy one, get one free. I thought I’d see if the two of you could use a little Christmas cheer.”_ _

__“Oh, thanks,” he said. “A mouse ate through our light strings and Jim’s being a Grinch, as usual.” He took the wreath from Simon. It smelled of pine, clean and fresh. Stalks of red berries, cedar, and laurel were woven throughout, along with two strands of tiny white lights._ _

__“I just don’t see the purpose of decorating if it’s just you and me,” Jim grumbled from the kitchen. “Simon, you want a beer?”_ _

__“Sure,” Simon replied, tossing his coat on the couch._ _

__Blair turned the wreath over, searching for the loop for hanging it. Maybe this would work instead of the tree they’d planned for. Wreaths were usually hung on the outside, but this might be just the bright spot they needed—_ _

__His hand hit something tucked among the branches of the wreath. Something soft, yet also hard._ _

__“Stephen was supposed to come over for dinner tonight,” Jim was saying, as he handed Simon a bottle. “But something came up at work.”_ _

__“Taking after the old man?” Simon asked, sitting on the couch_ _

__“Guess family isn’t as important as I thought.”_ _

__He drew out a black velvet drawstring bag, about half the size of his fist. “Uh… Simon? Are you trying to hide presents from us?”_ _

__Frowning, Simon stood. “No.”_ _

__Leaning the wreath against the door, he opened the bag and poured the contents out. Two dozen diamonds flashed brilliantly across his palm. “Holy crap,” he breathed._ _

__Jim gave a low whistle from the kitchen, coming over to stand beside Blair. He picked one up and examined it, turning it around in his fingers. “These are high-quality,” he said. “Not your average Christmas present.”_ _

__“Serial numbers?” he asked._ _

__Jim held the gem up to the light. After a few moments he shook his head. “Nope.”_ _

__“So, unmarked. Someone must have hid them in the wreath,” he realized. “Planned to come back and get them later.”_ _

__“That’s a fortune,” Simon observed. “At least 100 million, street value.”_ _

__“Where did you say you got this?” Jim asked._ _

__“The lot over on 10th and Prospect, just a few blocks away_ _

__It was like a light went on in his brain. This was his chance. This was his chance to prove to Jim that he was going to be a good partner._ _

__He looked at the two men. “I think we should pay them a little visit, don’t you?”_ _

__***_ _

__The night was cold and clear, and Blair pushed his gloved hands deeper into his pockets, huddling inside his coat for warmth as he led the way towards the little hut in the middle of the lot. The aftermath of Christmas Eve shopping was obvious, there were just a few trees here and there that hadn’t been chosen. The “half-price” signs had gone up, and Blair could see the “buy one get one free” sign on the wreaths that Simon had mentioned._ _

__“Hey,” he said, as he approached a man warming his hands over a fire in an old metal barrel, “Blair Sandburg, Cascade PD. Do you work here?” Remember what they taught you at the academy – start off with your credentials, so you can establish dominance quickly._ _

__The guy looked at him like he was some kind of rodent that he’d just found gnawing on the trees. “Yup. Tom Baker.”_ _

__“We have some questions about the wreaths you’re selling,” he continued. “Have you noticed anything strange about them?”_ _

__The man gave him a long look. “And I should tell you anything why?”_ _

__Ignoring the tightening in his chest, he tried to think about what his instructors had taught him. What could you do with an uncooperative suspect? He didn’t have any leverage against the guy._ _

__“Listen, we’ve received some information that your tree lot might be involved in transporting stolen goods,” he said, trying to adopt the tone he’d heard Jim use on any number of occasions._ _

__“What!?” the guy shouted, his face turning red. “There’s nothing stolen on this lot! I’ve paid fairly for everything I’ve got here, and I’m just trying—“”_ _

__Jim put his hands out, motioning for calm. “Hey, hey, hey, no one’s saying that you’re in trouble. We’re just trying to get some information.”_ _

__The guy stopped, with a sullen glance at Blair. “What do you want to know?”_ _

__Blair flushed. He’d screwed that up._ _

__“Our friend here,” Jim said, motioning to Simon, “bought a wreath from you and we just want to get some information about it.”_ _

__“I don’t make those here,” Tom said, still with a sullen expression on his face. “I buy them from a farm out east. They put them together out there.”_ _

__“And these are all the ones you have for sale?” Blair cut in, motioning to the rack of wreaths in front of the hut. He’d better do something to contribute to the interrogation._ _

__“Yeah.” Tom clearly still wasn’t pleased with him, but he was answering the question, so it was at least a partial win. “These all came in this morning - I sold out last night and this was the last batch.”_ _

__“You didn’t notice anything odd about them?”_ _

__“Listen, kid, I don’t pay that much attention—“”_ _

__“This is my partner, Blair Sandburg,” Jim said, slipping his badge out of his inner coat pocket. “And I’m Jim Ellison. This is Simon Banks, our boss. We all work for Cascade PD.”_ _

__His heart sank a little. How was he ever going to get people to take him seriously as a cop if Jim kept jumping in to save him?_ _

__Tom swallowed, a little pale, and looked back and forth between Jim and Simon. “Sorry. Guess I jumped off the handle a little. No, I didn’t notice anything odd about the wreaths.”_ _

__“Have you sold many?” Blair asked._ _

__Tom rolled his eyes. “Yeah, of course. With the sale price, they’ve been going like crazy. Most people don’t want to mess with a tree this late in the season, but a wreath is just the thing.”_ _

__“If you think of anything about those wreaths,” Jim said, pulling a card out of his wallet, “you can call me at that number.”_ _

__So this was a dead end. He felt his chance at proving his worth slipping away. Then his eyes lit on the remaining wreaths. “Do you mind if we take a look at those?” he asked._ _

__Tom shot him an irritable look but nodded, after a minute. “Fine. Just don’t screw things up.”_ _

__More than I have already, you mean, he thought._ _

__Jim pulled him over. “Simon and I will take a look around the lot,” he said quietly._ _

__He nodded as he headed over to the display._ _

__Despite searching carefully in all the wreaths that remained, he didn’t find anything else hidden in their branches. Although he hadn’t really expected to find anything. This had the feel of a desperation move, not a long-term plan for moving stolen goods._ _

__But now what? The trail had gone cold._ _

__He headed back towards the car. Jim and Simon met him near the exit, shaking their heads. “Nothing,” Jim said._ _

__“What now?” Simon asked._ _

__“I don’t know,” Blair replied. “I guess we could try to get fingerprints off the bag—“”_ _

__“Hang on a sec,” Jim interrupted him, his hand half-raised and head cocked in that angle that meant he was listening._ _

__He could hear, faintly, back by the hut, two men arguing, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He looked at Jim._ _

__“Someone’s come looking for a specific wreath,” Jim said slowly. “His voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. He’s asking the owner about it – a wreath with red berries and laurel leaves.” He looked pointedly at Blair and Simon. “Sounds like he’s looking for the wreath you bought.”_ _

__“Let’s check it out,” Blair said, motioning to the two other men to follow him. He moved up towards the hut slowly, keeping hidden behind the trees. As he got closer, he could see a short man, wiry, dressed in a heavy flannel coat and a toboggan hat, arguing with the owner._ _

__“I asked you to put that one aside for me,” the man said._ _

__“You didn’t ask me,” Tom replied._ _

__“Well, I asked someone!”_ _

__“That’s Artie Doyle,” Jim said quietly in his ear. “He’s an associate of Conan Peterson’s.”_ _

__“The mob boss?”_ _

__Jim nodded grimly._ _

__“Look,” Tom was saying exasperatedly, “you want a wreath with red berries, I’ve got one – there are three on that display!”_ _

__“I want the one that I looked at earlier,” Artie whined._ _

__“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s been sold.” Tom flung his hands in the air and turned back to the hut. “Now get out of here.”_ _

__The three of them watched as Artie went over to the display and handled each of the wreaths._ _

__“Sure looks like he’s looking for something specific,” Simon muttered._ _

__When he apparently didn’t find what he was looking for, Doyle flung his hat down to the ground, cursing. He paced back and forth for several moments, talking to himself. He checked his watch, then headed for the exit to the lot._ _

__“We gotta follow him,” Blair said._ _

__“Right behind you, Chief.”_ _

__***_ _

__“Don’t get too close to him, Simon, you’ll give us away.”_ _

__Blair chuckled under his breath as Simon leveled a glare at Jim. “Detective, I’ll thank you to keep your comments to yourself. I know how to tail a suspect.”_ _

__Jim slumped back in his seat. “I could have driven.”_ _

__“And crammed all three of us into the front seat of that broken down truck? I don’t think so.”_ _

__“She’s not broken down—“”_ _

__“Hey, guys,” he interrupted, his eyes on Doyle’s car. “Do you think he’s going where I think he’s going?”_ _

__Sure enough, a few moments later, Simon drove up to the entrance to Ellison Industries._ _

__“What could he want here?” Jim mused._ _

__“Maybe he was supposed to use the diamonds to purchase something, like information?” he wondered._ _

__Jim shook his head, but pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He listened for a while, then hung up._ _

__“Steven?” Blair asked._ _

__Jim nodded. “No answer, though. Went straight to voicemail. I’ll try later.”_ _

__“In the meantime,” Simon said, “we should try to figure out why Doyle’s here.”_ _

__They found Doyle’s car parked in one of the outer lots, close to a copse of trees that hid the car from the road. Simon chose a spot across the lot that still gave them a good view, but kept them somewhat hidden._ _

__“He’s not in the car,” Jim said. “He must have gone inside.”_ _

__“How could he get past the security guard?” Blair asked._ _

__“Must have found another way in.”_ _

__When they reached the building, they found the answer – a first floor window that had been kicked in, that led into a disused, dusty storage room._ _

__“Chief, you go in through here and see if you can figure out where Doyle went. I’m going to take Simon and go get security to help us sweep the building. Shout if you find something.”_ _

__“I guess sometimes it’s good to be an Ellison, huh?” he said, grinning._ _

__He slipped in through the window and dropped to the floor. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, but then he could see the door across the room. It wasn’t locked, in fact, it looked like the lock had been busted. And sure enough, when he looked around, he found a screwdriver on the floor near the door._ _

__“Okay, so this was how you got out,” he muttered to himself. “Where did you go from here?”_ _

__The door let out onto a hallway that branched off the main foyer. He could hear Jim talking to the security guard. Maybe this was Jim’s way of getting him out of the way. He hadn’t been much help so far on this case. Maybe Jim was rethinking this whole partnership idea._ _

__There was a bank of elevators in the opposite direction from the foyer, and he guessed that’s where Doyle would have gone. But he had no way of telling what floor Doyle had gone to._ _

__Well, he’d start at the top and work down, and meet Jim and Simon somewhere in the middle._ _

__The top floor was all executive offices, so Blair was surprised to hear voices as the elevator door slid open. Surely there couldn’t be anyone working this late on Christmas Eve?_ _

__Remembering what he’d been taught at the academy, he kept close to the wall as he headed towards the voices, which got clearer as he got closer._ _

__“I’m not going to do that.” That was Steven’s voice, calm and controlled._ _

__“Listen, I need those specs and I need them now!” This voice was shrill and tense. He didn’t have Jim’s hearing, but he’d put good money that that was Doyle._ _

__“No.”_ _

__Then he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking._ _

__“Jim!” he hissed, as quietly as he could. “Get up to Steven’s office! Doyle is here and he’s got a gun!”_ _

__With a deep breath, he stepped away from the wall and walked into Steven’s office. “Hey, Mr. Ellison, I wanted to ask—” He cut himself off, feigning surprise at the sight of Doyle aiming a gun at Steven. “Uh… what’s going on here?”_ _

__“Just walk away, man,” Doyle said, shooting a quick glance at him but not moving the gun from where it was trained on Steven. “This has nothing to do with you.”_ _

__“Dude, listen, whatever the problem is here, we can work it out, I promise.”_ _

__Doyle swung to face him, and he felt a chill as the muzzle was now pointed in his direction. “I said, GET OUT!”_ _

__“Hey, just… just take a deep breath and chill.”_ _

__The gun was shaking now, and Doyle almost looked like he had tears in his eyes. “Shut up! Shut up!” The muzzle swung back to Steven. “Give me those specs, right now!”_ _

__Steven gave him a questioning look, and he tried to nod as surreptitiously as he could. “It’s going to take me a while to pull that information up,” Steven said, moving towards his keyboard._ _

__“No!” Artie screamed. “Don’t touch anything! You’re going to call security and delay until they get here. I know you have those specs printed out already.”_ _

__“Anytime, Jim,” he murmured. “I don’t think this guy’s too tightly wrapped.”_ _

__“I don’t,” Steven said. “I shredded a bunch of material tonight and that was part of it. But I can print them out again for you.” He reached slowly for the keyboard and started to tap a few keys._ _

__“NO!” Doyle shouted. He wasn’t shaking now, he had that gun pointed directly at Steven. A chill raced down Blair’s spine. He was actually going to do it!_ _

__Without thinking, he launched himself at Doyle, grabbing him around the knees. He heard a shot go off and his heart plummeted, right before the two of them crashed into a row of file cabinets._ _

__The door banged open and several guys in security uniforms rushed into the room, followed closely by Jim and Simon._ _

__“Jim, check Steven!” he shouted. He didn’t know if he’d hit Doyle in time to deflect his aim._ _

__Doyle was struggling under him, but he remembered one of the moves he’d learned at the academy for subduing suspects. Doyle yelped and then stopped struggling._ _

__Jim appeared in front of him and handed him a pair of cuffs._ _

__“Steven’s okay?” he asked._ _

__Jim nodded, smiling. “You okay, Chief?”_ _

__Relief rushed through him. “Yeah, I’m good.” He snapped the cuffs over Doyle’s wrists. “Artie Doyle, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…_ _

__***_ _

__“So Artie was supposed to use the diamonds to pay some disgruntled employee for the new electric battery specs from Ellison Industries?” Blair asked._ _

__Several hours later, after booking Doyle into jail, they had come back to the loft and were eating a late night meal of scrambled eggs and toast._ _

__“Yup,” Jim said. “But Steven had caught the guy who was trying to steal the specs earlier – that was why he called to cancel dinner, he was dealing with that.”_ _

__“And Artie was acting on behalf of Conan Peterson – that’s who he got the diamonds from.”_ _

__“Industrial espionage is big business,” Jim said, mopping up the last of his eggs. “Peterson could have sold that information to any number of other companies.”_ _

__“Artie knew that he either had to get the information or get the diamonds back,” he mused. “So when he lost the diamonds, he figured his only chance of survival was to get the information.”_ _

__“You got it,” Jim said, patting his cheek as he went to put his plate in the sink._ _

__He pushed his eggs around on his plate. As successful as the night had been, there was still something bothering him. He needed to get it off his chest. “Jim,” he said. “I’m sorry that I made a mess of things tonight.”_ _

__Jim frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”_ _

__“I was… I was trying to follow procedure, I was trying to do what they taught me in the academy, but… I screwed it up.”_ _

__“Screwed it up, how?” Jim asked, sitting back down at the table._ _

__“I tried to get that guy at the Christmas tree lot – Tom – I tried to get him to talk to me, but it didn’t’ work.”_ _

__“Chief,” Jim put his hands over Blair’s, “you just came on a little too strong there.”_ _

__“But at the academy—“”_ _

__“Listen, they teach you a lot of important stuff in the academy, but they don’t always know what’s its like when you’re actually out there.”_ _

__“How’m I going to be a good partner if I can’t do it the way it’s supposed to be done, though?”_ _

__“Listen,” Jim cupped the back of his neck with his hand. Warmth flowed through him at the familiar touch, and a sense of calm began to slowly spread through him. “You are a good partner. You have good instincts – you always have, even before you went to the academy. That intimidation play, that’s not your thing. You’re much better at getting people comfortable, getting them to open up to you.”_ _

__“I tried that, but I nearly got Steven killed.”_ _

__Jim shook his head. “You saved his life. You absolutely did the right thing. You played along, you kept Artie a little distracted and off-kilter until Simon and I could bring in the cavalry.” He squeezed Blair’s neck. “And you brought in your first official collar. Not bad, partner.”_ _

__He had to admit, Jim’s reassurance made him feel a lot better. “It’s going to be weird, though. Being official.”_ _

__Shrugging, Jim stood and went back into the kitchen. “It’ll take a little time for you to settle in. It’s not a problem.”_ _

__Blair came over and picked up a drying towel while Jim ran water in the sink and added soap. “I hope it doesn’t take us too long to find our groove again.”_ _

__Jim leaned over and kissed him. “Our groove is perfect. And you’re perfect. It’ll be fine.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle, as you might have guessed from the character names.


End file.
